The Signature Bridge: the finish line that keeps moving
The Signature Bridge, the six white arches over Biscayne Boulevard where I-395 meets the bay, has been under construction since October 2017: 3,299 days so far. It was due in 2021. The finish date has moved 4 times and now says December 2029, and the cost has gone from $802 million to $866 million.
Under construction for
3,299 days
and 1,775 days past the first promised finish (end of 2021).
Every finish date so far
The plan against the time it's taking
Built in less time
- Kaseya Center, next doorabout 2 years (1998 to 1999)
- Empire State Buildingabout 13 months (1930 to 1931)
- Golden Gate Bridgeabout 4 years (1933 to 1937)
- Flagler's railroad to Key West, 128 miles over the seaabout 7 years (1905 to 1912)
Miami has another famously moving release date: Grand Theft Auto VI was announced in December 2023, slipped twice, and comes out on 19 November 2026. The bridge will still be going up. The real places behind Vice City.
Why it's late
- The wind-load calculations in the first design used the wrong code, gust factor and drag coefficient: the arches as drawn would not have stood up to 140 mph winds, and the redesign used up 10 of the 18 months set aside for design (approved May 2019).
- In November 2020 a broken valve at an on-site concrete plant let too much fly ash into concrete poured over three months; those sections were torn out and rebuilt.
- Then the pandemic: steel and concrete arrived late, crews were short, and work stops around holidays and big events.
- The contractors sued the design firm, HDR, saying its errors added $405 million; HDR settled for $12 million in April 2025 without admitting liability.
In January 2026 a concrete beam fell and injured six workers, five critically; in March 2026 a worker died in a fall from an overpass onto Biscayne Boulevard. FDOT stopped the work both times, OSHA opened inspections, and construction restarted in April 2026.
The bridge
| Arch height | 325 ft (99 m), six arches |
|---|---|
| Length | 1,025 ft (312 m); longest span 650 ft (198 m) |
| Designed by | Donald MacDonald Architects; built by the Archer Western–de Moya joint venture for FDOT |
| Cost | $802 million at the start, $866 million now |
| Under it | The Underdeck: a planned park with water features, an amphitheater and gardens |
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, miamitodaynews.com, miamitodaynews.com, nbcmiami.com, nbcmiami.com, miamitimesonline.com. The day count runs from FDOT's notice to proceed on 29 October 2017. Last checked 10 November 2026.